THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY OF 1887. 127 



East Land, the sea being entirely free from ice to the northward ; 

 other walrus-hunters were forty miles north of Nova Zembla in 

 open water, the sea being also clear of ice, and an unusually large 

 land-water intervening between the shores of Nova Zembla and 

 the ice to the eastward. Capt. Jansen also informed me that the 

 majority of the Norwegian Bottle-nose whalers are similar to the 

 ' Flora,' each carrying two guns in the bow, two in the stern, as 



well as two boats with a gun each This year thirty craft 



will prosecute the trade." It is probable that such vessels as 

 these will pick up what Whales they can when the expensively 

 equipped vessels now pursuing the Whale Fishery have ceased 

 to do so, and it is evident that comparatively a very small amount 

 of success will amply reward them. 



Amongst the birds seen, a Falcon (probably Falco candicans,) 

 in lat. 79° 7', and a Wheatear, in 77° 56', were the most note- 

 worthy ; a single specimen of the curious fish, Scopelus mulleri, 

 was seen but not captured, and a small fish which proved to be 

 Gadus fabricii, was found on the ice in 74° 12' N., 14° 48' W. ; 

 a Walrus was shot feeding upon a Einged Seal, Phoca hispida, its 

 stomach being full of seal-flesh. The 'Erik' brought home a 

 live Bear which was lassoed by the crew, a previous attempt to 

 take one alive in this manner not having proved successful ; and 

 Capt. Adams, of the 'Maud,' succeeded in capturing a live 

 Walrus in a similar manner in Exeter Sound, and also brought 

 home a young Bear. 



Mr. Gray was kind enough to bring me a diatomaceous 

 gathering from the surface of the sea in lat. 74° 29' N., 14° W., 

 which Mr. Kitton tells me consisted almost entirely of Thalas- 

 siosira nordenskioldii ; and on a previous occasion a similar 

 gathering determined by the same authority was found to consist 

 of Chcetoceras wighamii, C. lauderi, Bacteriastmm shrubsolii, 

 B. varius, and Coscinodiscus minor. 



Mr. Gray wishes me to state that the bird referred to by him 

 (Zool. 1887, p. 27), and recognised by the crew of the ' Eclipse' 

 as the " Cape Hen," was probably Puffinus major, a species well 

 known under that name by the Davis Straits whalers, and which 

 is met with off Cape Farewell and on the American coast from 

 Belle Isle to Besolution Island. 



I have, as on previous occasions, to express my indebtedness 

 to Messrs. W. Grieve & Co., of Greenock, for statistics of the New- 



